Catalog
100 Marka
| Issuer | Eesti Wabariigi (Republic of Estonia, Treasury) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in a single muted tone and composed entirely of intricate guilloche lathe-work patterns covering the full surface. Two large oval guilloche vignettes, each bearing the numeral '100', are symmetrically placed at left and right center, surrounded by rosette and engine-turned geometric designs at each corner. The overall design is purely ornamental, with no inscriptions, serving as an anti-counterfeiting underprint. |
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| Protection description | Elaborate engine-turned guilloche patterns on both obverse and reverse, including ornamental rosettes and interlaced geometric designs intended to deter counterfeiting. |
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| Comments |
Estonia's first independent currency, the mark, was introduced in 1919 after the country severed financial ties with the collapsing Russian ruble system. The Treasury — not a central bank, which Estonia did not yet have — was the issuing authority, a reflection of how quickly the new state had to improvise its monetary infrastructure during the War of Independence against Soviet forces.
The Estonian mark was always a transitional currency. By 1928 it had been replaced by the kroon at a rate of 100 marka to 1 kroon, rendering the entire series obsolete within a decade of issue.